The Touch Bar is an OLED panel, and one of the new features it supports is Touch ID. When you encounter a process that requires you to show your fingerprint (such as Apple Pay), you place your finger on the Touch ID area of the Touch Bar. The Touch ID sensor is integrated with the power button.

The functions provided by the Touch Bar changes based on the software you are are using. For example, if you are using iTunes, the Touch Bar lights up with icons representing player controls. During a chat, the Touch Bar can be used to instantly place emoji. In the Photos app, you can access editing functions on the Touch Bar and apply those edits to the photo you are working on.

Customizing the Touch Bar can be done using drag and drop. You can select the functions you want on the main screen and drag them to the location your want off the bottom of the MacBook Pro’s screen and onto the Touch Bar.

Apple said that third-party software developers will be able to create Touch Bar controls for their software.

This story, "Touch Bar is the highlight of Apple’s newest MacBook Pro" was originally published by
Macworld.